Where Memories Are Made of Science,Secrets and Sun
by Aggie1013
Summary: When Grissom goes on an entomology conference and decides to take Nick and Sara with him, tension ensues and confessions follow. WORK IN PROGRESS. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Where Memories Are Made Of Science, Secrets and Sun

**Summary: **When Grissom goes on an entomology conference to Florida and decides to take Sara and Nick with him, tension ensues and confessions follow.

**Rating: **M (for the whole story)

**Disclaimer: **The characters are not mine, never were, probably never will be...

**Author's Notes: **This a story that **CSIgal **(aka**SweetPea9070)** and I are writing together. Grissom, Nick and Sara are going away together, but how will they handle each other's company so far away from home? Guess, we're trying to find out. This is work in progress, so bear with us, and feedback is greatly appreciated!

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"Yes, of course, I'll be there!"

Grissom laughed into the phone.

"Karen, I _do_ appreciate the call. Did you really think I was gonna miss it?"

The person on the other end of the phone started explaining and Grissom listened, small smile playing in the corners of his lips.

He was really looking forward to it. Hell, he's been planning this trip for months now and nothing was going to spoil it.

He'd booked the week off and Catherine has agreed to look after everything during his absence.

"The lab's not going to fall apart without you, Gil" Catherine told him several weeks ago, during a particularly hard case. "Despite what you might think."

Grissom shot her a glance.

"Everyone's doing what they can and more and you know it. " she stated, seeing his face crease with worry.

"You know that and I know that, so can please, just stop worrying, ok?"

He eyed her, unconvinced.

"Gil..." she warned.

"Yes, Catherine, you're right, as always." he admitted, somewhat reluctantly.

She glanced at him, as if he only just admitted the most obvious thing in the world!

"Of course, I'm right. " she almost laughed, seeing his serious look.

"Gil, admit it. You just don't like things to be outside of your control, do you?" She prodded him gently.

"Come on, relax. We'll be fine." She added, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Besides... " Catherine paused in the doorway. "I'll bet you can't wait to go. I mean, the beach, drinks, pretty girls..."

Grissom raised his eyebrows.

"Ok, boys, then!" Cath deadpanned.

"Catherine, it's a conference. " Grissom patiently explained. "I probably won't have any spare time anyway."

"Sure, Gil. That's why you're going alone, is it?"

With a smirk, Willows left his office, not giving him a chance to reply.

"Yes, I've made arrangements. Hang on a second..."

Grissom held the phone to his ear, while trying to find a thick file on his desk, where he'd kept all the conference details.

"I'm sure it's here somewhere..." he started, but was yet again interrupted by the long monologue of Karen Ashcroft on the other end of the line.

Grissom liked Karen. She'd been one of closest friends, and certainly in the Society, which is where he met her, when, as a student of Philip Gerard, 11 years ago, he'd made his first appearance at the convention.

Karen Ashcroft, 12 years his senior, immediately took him under her wing. She'd become the Honorary Member of the ESA last year and Grissom was only too proud and happy, to accompany his friend and mentor to the registration ball.

"Whoa, hang on a second? Are you going to be the keynote speaker? Karen, that's wonderful!"

Grissom' s face literally lit up. This day just kept getting better.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Oh, of course! Yes, my paper is ready. What? Oh, definitely. Karen... I would love to take you to dinner, you know that!"

Grissom listened, as Karen remembered why she had called in the first place. As a long serving member of the Entomological Society of America, she's been offered two extra spaces at the conference and thought that Grissom might want to take someone with him to Florida.

"Karen, I'm not sure if I can spare anyone. We're pretty busy at the moment. Business even more then usual, actually."

Grissom took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead.

"I'll need to think about it. Yes, I _know_ it's in two weeks."

He got up and walked over to a cabinet next to his desk. He stared at his moth collection for a few moments, before shifting his glance outside, where Warrick was talking to Greg. He fixed his gaze on them for a second, before a little smile crept on his lips.

"Actually, Karen... I will take those two places. No, no, I won't tell you! But I'll see you in two weeks, ok? Take care now! Yes... No, I _will_ call this time!"

Grissom put down the phone and looked at the files in front of him. He needed to speak to Catherine. He picked up the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Sara, how is working alone with Grissom going?"

Sara lifted her head from the microscope and suddenly Nick wished he hadn't said anything.

"Great, Nicky, just great."

She flashed him a half-smile, and Nick resisted the urge to say something else, but stopped himself at the last moment.

"Sara..." he tried again.

"Come on, admit it, you miss the old team, don't you?" he prodded her gently, emphasizing the last words, while passing her the next specimen to analyse.

Sara just sighed and Nick could almost feel the pang of pain in her voice, and anger rose within his own chest, all at the injustice of having Ecklie separating the team.

They'd been paired off together by Grissom and Catherine, when a suspect's DNA on the cotton fibres, found in the car seat of the kidnapping victim, that Sara had been investigating, has also been found in the house Warrick and Nick have been processing.

It was yet another case, where the CSIs have been presented with a double opportunity to bring the responsible people to justice.

"It's fine, Nick, honestly" she said, her eyes over the microscope.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just..."

"Tired?" Nick stated helpfully. "I know what you mean."

Sara didn't answer, but could feel a smile forming on her lips, as she continued to conduct the fibre comparison. No matter how she felt, Nick has always managed to make her feel better.

"Hey, you know what..." Nick started, but was interrupted by his pager. Seconds later, Sara's beeped, too.

"It's Grissom." They said almost in unison, and exchanged curious looks.

"I guess he wants to ask about the case." Sara shrugged, turning to walk out the door.

"Well, he could have come and see for himself." Nick replied, but was puzzled, nonetheless, as he followed Sara down the corridor, towards Grissom's office.

Grissom sat in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. He glanced at Sara's file and shook his head in disbelief. When was the last time that that girl had some time off? She'd never ceased to amaze him, her dedication and drive, and her passion for challenges.

He reckoned she would enjoy it. After all, she did seem pretty pleased with the textbook he'd given her for Christmas. Grissom reckoned that Sara would benefit form going to Florida and not just because of the conference.

He put her file aside and opened Nick's. He felt that the young CSI was a bit distracted from work lately and going away and look at things from different perspective might have been just what he needed.

Besides, Nick seriously lagged behind with conference hours! Grissom couldn't blame Catherine for this, as she's only been supervising Warrick and Nick for a few weeks now. He knew that he should have been the one in charge and make sure that everyone's obligations and work requirements have been up to date. It's just that even Grissom felt that his supervisory abilities have slipped recently.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of Nick, Sara and himself going to Florida. He was sure that that it would benefit all of them.

He just wasn't sure in what way.

But he didn't have much time to think about it.

"Grissom? You wanted to see both of us?"

He looked up to see Sara and Nick standing in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

Grissom cleared his throat and decided to make it as official as possible.

"Sara, Nick, have a seat. Oh, Nick, can you close the door, please?"

Sara's gaze shifted from Grissom to Nick, who looked as puzzled as she felt. Considering Grissom's somewhat formal greeting, Sara gathered that this must have been about more than just the case.

Closing the door behind him and slipping into the chair, next to Sara's, Nick suddenly looked uncomfortable. Grissom sensed their discomfort and decided to get the thing over with.

"Nick, Sara, I called you both in here, because it has come to my attention that neither of your files shows the required number of conference hours."

"Conference hours?"

Sara sounded baffled. That wasn't what she expected at all. Nick, on the other hand, was actually slightly bemused, but his best effort at trying to hide his smirk has not escaped Grissom's attention, but he continued, nonetheless.

"Anyway, seeing as there is a conference in two weeks, organised by the Entomological Society of America, Catherine and I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for the two of you to get your records up to date, as well as taking the advantage and get into the circles of the most recognised experts in the field of forensic entomology."

"Entomology, huh? So, I'm guessing we won't be going alone?" Nick quipped.

Grissom smiled at his comment.

"Smart man, Nicky. Yes, I will be going, too. I try to never miss any of their annual meetings." He added proudly.

"A conference, Grissom? So, how come you've not mentioned it before?"

Grissom had expected Sara to come up with a question like that, but she caught him off guard, as always. He hoped she hadn't noticed his hesitation, when his hand, in which he's been holding a pencil, has stilled for a second.

"I decided that it would be best if the two of you didn't have know about the actual event, until absolutely necessary."

"Uh-uh!"

Sara still looked unconvinced and Grissom hoped she wouldn't suspect he had any other reason than what he'd just admitted! Whether he actually did, was another story.

"So, what, you just decided to tell us now?"

Grissom heard Sara exclaim, perhaps a bit louder that she'd intended. He could tell she wasn't too happy about it, but wasn't sure whether he did pick up a slight note of teasing in her voice. He looked at her, but her eyes stared back at him, displaying almost no emotion. Nick, meanwhile, looked a bit lost in his thoughts and Grissom quickly brought him back to reality, in his 'I'm being the boss here' mode.

"Nick, you and Sara do not need to worry about your time off or the cases you're not going to be able to complete. Catherine will look after yours, Nick, and Sara..."

Grissom hung his voice, causing her to look at him.

"Sofia will look after yours."

Sara shot him a glance, which could only be described as a 'So now you're telling me she's gonna take _my_ place at the lab?' She definitely wasn't happy now.

"Whatever."

Nick glanced at Sara worriedly. He knew certain things were bothering her, and Grissom wasn't helping, by bringing Sofia up. He sighed, knowing full well that the trip probably wasn't gonna be a walk in the park. To be honest, he wasn't sure what to expect at all!

"So, okay then." Nick clasped his hands and looked at Grissom.

"A week off work sounds good to me. Isn't it great, Sar?"

Nick glanced in Sara's direction, but she stared at Grissom, with a defensive look on her face. She pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to say something back to him, but stopped herself at the last moment. Both men suddenly became aware that Sara wasn't gonna make it easy for either of them.

"Is that all?"

Sara stood up, and put her hands in her coat pockets, eyeing Gil as he leaned back in his chair, holding her gaze, longer that Nick would have liked.

"Nick and I have a lot of work to do, haven't we, Nicky?"

"Yes, Griss, so when are we going, anyway?"

"We're flying out next Thursday, I'll get you the itinerary. Oh, and guys..."

His voice stopped them in the doorway.

"Don't forget to pack your swimwear. Florida is very hot this time of year."

Sara gulped loudly and Nick's hand froze on the doorknob, both turning around at the same time. Grissom gave them the most innocent look he could muster under the circumstances, before raising his eyebrows with a rather suggestive smile.

"Aren't you guys gonna work?"

Grissom turned to his files and tried to hide his smile, as Sara and Nick walked out of his office speechless, both of them contemplating the imminent trip.


	4. Chapter 4

"Damn it where is that black bikini?" Sara muttered to herself as she tried to put her things together.

It's been only three days until the trip and she just couldn't seem to get anything together. She finally found the bikini stuffed into one of the dresser drawers and threw it on the bed behind her, without looking, when she spotted a yellow one. She took it out and held it up.

_'Which one should I take?' _She threw it behind her back hoping it was going to land on the bed, as she picked up the schedule Grissom had given to them only today and read through it again. From what she could see, their time has been very carefully planned.

_'What do you wear to things like these?' _She went to her closet, pulling out a little black dress and smiled to herself, thinking of the comment Nick had given her when she had worn it to work for her court date a couple of weeks ago. She took it off the hanger and put in on the bed. Little black dress would always come in useful.

The phone rang and stumbling over her suitcase, Sara and ran to get it.

"Hello?" She said breathlessly into the phone, slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"Sar? It's Nick. What's going on?"

"Oh Nick! Hey! I was just trying to get all my things together for the trip. What's going on with you?" Sara said into the receiver, as she walked back into the bedroom, pulling out more clothes and piling them on the bed.

"Not much. Got your bikini packed? Grissom will be expecting that, you know."

"Not funny. Is there a point to this call or are you just going to harass me?"

"Yeah, I have a point. I was getting ready to go to the diner and get a bite to eat. Do you want to come?"

Sara glanced at the huge pile of clothes on her bed and then thought about being alone with Nick. She couldn't get him out of her mind in the last few weeks. He was really getting to her. Then she thought about how Grissom has been hinting around about a dinner date. Although to Grissom a dinner date would probably consist of the rest of night and swing shifts together! Sara rolled her eyes at the thought and rubbed her forehead.

"Uh...I don't know Nick. I've got a lot to do still and..."

"Come on Sara, you got three more days to worry about that. If I know you as well as I think I do, then you've got a pile of clothes on your bed that will last you for a month and you're deciding on whether or not to take the black bikini or the yellow one. I vote for the black, but hey, that's me. So what do you say?"

"Alright alright, I'll meet you in about ten minutes. I'll take a water to drink."

She hung up the phone and started to get changed.

It was Wednesday night and Nick was walking to the locker room to get his things and get home when Grissom stopped him in the hallway.

"Nick? Come and see me before you go, okay?

Nick nodded absent-mindedly and went to grab the rest of his stuff. Warrick, who was changing his clothes, nodded in Nick's direction, when he walked in.

"Heard about that bug thing Grissom is making you go to. Sorry 'bout your luck, man."

"How bad can it be? Sit through a couple of lectures and then go relax on the beach. I'd much rather be doing that than pulling a double here. At least down there I'll get to see some hot chicks in bikinis or maybe wearing less than that." Nick commented with a grin as he opened his locker.

"Now that's tight. Just don't forget condoms bro, that's all I'm going to say. I know your reputation with pretty girls..."

"Already got it covered, two boxes in the bottom of my bag"

Warrick burst out laughing. "Damn man, you won't get that lucky."

He patted Nick on the back.

"Seriously though, have a good time and bring me back one of those hot babes."

"Yeah yeah, you'll see. Those will be gone by the time I get back. Bet you 20 bucks."

"Oh, you're going down, man!" Warrick laughed, as they shook on the bet.

Nick grabbed his things and went into Grissom's office to see what else he had forgotten to tell them about the trip. His former supervisor was sitting at his desk, going over a case file and upon seeing Nick, he gestured him to have a seat. He closed the file and took off his glasses.

"Here is the complete schedule and I expect you to be there for everything."

He put emphasis on the last word and Nick almost laughed. Grissom handed him a sheet of paper and Nick looked it over quickly.

"That certainly is a busy schedule." Nick commented with a long sigh.

"Nick, stop whining. We'll be staying for the whole week so bring enough clothes and whatever else to last the duration. I've already spoken with Sara about the sleeping arrangements..."

Nick's head shot up. "Sleeping arrangements?"

"Yes. Now seeing that I'm the honorary guest this year", Nick raised his eyebrows at Grissom as the entomologist tried not to sound too proud, but with little success.

"that means that each one of us will get an individual room, with beautiful views and some excellent facilities. That's what the brochure says anyway."

"Oh man, and here I was so looking forward to be bunk mates with Sara!"

Grissom shot him a death glare, but said nothing.

"Also, as I should have probably mentioned, most of the lectures will be held at the Convention Centre, as you've probably gathered from the schedule, bur some of them will actually take place at the hotel we'll be staying at, Sheraton Falls."

Nick nodded.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, I believe so. Be at the airport at no later than 7:30 and we'll meet in front of the baggage area. So any questions?"

"No, everything's crystal clear. I'll see you in the morning." Nick smiled and walked out of the office.

Grissom got up and started to wrap up everything, before Nick's voice caught him again, from the doorway.

"Oh, Griss? One more thing? I take it we've got the evenings off, right?" He half-joked, with hopeful look on his face.

Grissom opened his mouth in to reply, but decided against it, instead shaking his head in amusement. Trying to give Nick his most serious look, he held his gaze for several seconds, before his expression turned to wide grin, spreading across his features.

"Yes, Nick, after the lectures you're free to do whatever takes your fancy!"

"Hey, Grissom, you're always welcome to join me, you know?"

"Careful, Nicky", Grissom replied with another grin. "Might just take you up on that offer. Now go home already!"

Watching Nick leave, Grissom's decided to call it a night, too. He got up and wondered whether Sara was still around. She has always said goodnight to him before she went home, so he figured that she was probably still around.

It wouldn't surprise him in the least.

He walked down the hall, when realising that she was probably in the evidence room, most likely going through the new batch of evidence she gathered from the house in her investigation.

Getting closer, he heard music coming from the inside and quietly entered the room. Sara looking down at clothes, spread out in front of her on the table, as she filled out the labels to go on a sample for trace.

_'Was she dancing?'_ Grissom stood and watched her for a few seconds, gentle smile playing on his lips. He must have made some sort of noise, because suddenly Sara turned around and jumped, rushing to turn off the CD player.

"Interesting choice of music you have here. Who were you listening to?" Grissom walked over to Sara, oblivious to redness in her cheeks.

Sara felt very self-conscious all of a sudden and couldn't understand why. After all, Grissom had been closer to her before, so why should now be any different?

"Oh that...that was Amerie...song called Touch. I'm sorry if it was disturbing everyone. It was kinda getting too quiet here. So...what are you doing down here anyway? I thought you'd have left by now?"

Sara turned around and tried to concentrate on her work. Grissom looked slightly amused as he noticed Sara's sudden nervousness.

" I was just gonna ask you the same thing, actually. I came to remind you to be at the airport no later than 7:30 in the morning. Nick and I would wait longer but I don't think the plane will. So you may want to be getting your case file over to Sophia and get home."

He glanced down at his watch and realized he should probably be doing the same, as it was already midnight.

"It's pretty late, Sara."

"Uh...sure...yeah I'll do that now, actually. Thanks. Goodnight, Griss."

Giving Grissom small smile, Sara rushed out of the evidence room. Once she was out in the hall, she exhaled loudly. What was wrong with her? Grissom didn't normally make her this jittery. She walked down to the breakroom and ran into Catherine.

"Are you okay Sara? You seem kinda…jumpy." Catherine said, concerned, eyeing Sara suspiciously.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired. Was going to hand this case over to Sophia but I can't seem to find her." Sara replied, glancing towards the evidence room, over Cath's shoulder.

"Well, I can give it to her."

Sara handed her the stack of files.

"Thanks, Cath."

Taking a sip of her coffee, Catherine eyed Sara with envy.

"So... You'll be quite busy over the next week, huh? Grissom…Nicky…what more could a girl ask for? Well, have a good time!"

Catherine laughed and walked out of the breakroom, leaving Sara staring after her in bewilderment and shaking her head.


	5. Chapter 5

The alarm went off loudly and rolling over, Sara smacked it repeatedly, until finally finding the button to turn it off. It was 6:00 am and she still had to get a shower, pack a few more things and haul ass down to the airport. Feeling extremely groggy, she got up and stumbled to the shower, trying her best to get moving. She knew she should have never stayed up that late.

Once she got into the shower, she thought about the conversation she'd had with Nick yesterday. After chatting with him for about an hour about the whole trip, she was rather eager to go. All of her fears were completely gone. She had nothing to worry about. After all, they were all adults and this could have been like a mini vacation to them all. She was actually quite interested to see how Grissom would handle everything. She had never been with him outside their work environment.

Sara stepped out of the shower and put on a nice pair of jeans, a tank top pulling her hair back in a pony tail.

"Shit!"

Glancing at her watch, she knew she was gonna be in trouble. Knowing Nick and Grissom, they were already waiting for her, and she expected her phone to ring at any moment.

By the time she got to the airport it was 7:45 and she finally felt her cell phone vibrating on her hip, as she was walked through the gate of the building.

"I know, I know, I'm late. I'm walking through the front door now and will be with you in about five minutes."

Sara snapped her phone shut before Grissom could reply. He didn't sound like the Grissom she knew. He sounded quite nervous and jittery actually.

Sara finally arrived in the main hall, to see Nick and Grissom with their arms crossed, looking at her and then at her luggage. Nick raised his eyebrows, rolling his eyes at Sara.

"Good lord Sar, we're only staying for a week. You don't need that much stuff, surely?"

Bending down to help her with it, Nick got a whiff of a lightly scented perfume, that smelled incredible to him. Leaning back, he whispered in Sara's ear, grinning suggestively.

"I really hope you brought something easy on the eyes to sleep in. I might be joining you for a nightcap... I happen to love lace..." Sara gulped, but immediately smiled back at him.

_'Two can play at this game' _she thought, turning to look at Grissom.

"You know this is going to be really fun. Not often we get to spend time together outside of work. I'd say your the big partier, huh Griss?"

She laughed, hooking her arm through his as they walked towards the security area, leaving Nick to struggle with the luggage. Grissom couldn't stop staring at Sara. She looked so beautiful and he started wondering if maybe it was a mistake to bring her and Nick. He could get himself into a heap of trouble if he didn't watch what he was doing. He was starting to get the urges that he couldn't quite get a grasp of. And he hadn't been able to get the image of her dancing in the evidence room last night out of his head.

The three of them got through security with no problems, checked in their bags and proceeded to get on the plane to find their seats. There were three seats to a row, so Nick decided to the seat by the window, Sara got stuck in the middle and Grissom took the isle seat.

_'Easy way to escape if I need it'_, he thought.

Sara shifted nervously in her seat.

"You both know that I'm terrified of flying, right?"

Nick turned to look at her, concerned.

"You'll be fine. If you feel sick just lay your head over on me and close your eyes. Now how about that, huh?"

Sara gave a small laugh. "Aww, aren't you sweet? You'd be willing to get puked all over just for me?"

Nick just laughed and shook his head, before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Sara turned to Grissom who was being rather quiet.

"Grissom...hello...earth to Grissom?"

"Sorry...was thinking about something."

She eyed him suspiciously, momentarily forgetting about her own predicament. Grissom had been acting rather strange this morning, and Sara couldn't help but wonder whether the forthcoming days in Florida, away from his natural environment, were starting to get to him.

The flight attendant explained all the safety procedures, and everyone started to strap themselves to their seats. Sara's hand shook slightly, as she struggled to get her seat in position, until she felt Grissom's hand on hers, helping her to fasten her belt correctly. She could feel his gaze on her, and grateful smile appeared on her face. She was about to say something to him, when the plane started to take off. Instead, Sara grabbed onto both Nick's and Grissom's arms, squeezing hard.

"Sara, honey just close your eyes, take deep breaths and relax. We'll be up in the air before you can count to ten."

Nick tried calming Sara down, by massaging the back of her neck with his free hand. She dropped her head and couldn't help but let out a small moan. Nick smiled to himself. Maybe he wouldn't have to work the Stokes charm on her after all.

As soon as they were in the air and the green light flashed, a flight attendant came by, asking whether they would like anything to drink.

"Sure, I'll take a large coffee…one sugar, please." Grissom spoke up first.

Sara's decided on a diet coke and a pack of peanuts, while Nick opted for coffee, as well.

The stewardess brought them their orders, with Sara hastily going for the peanuts. Ripping into the bag, she accidentally dropped it, and it landed right between Grissom's feet. Feeling even more foolish, Sara quickly reached down in between his legs, unaware of Grissom's warning look. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, much to Nick's amusement. Sara leaned back up, not even noticing what she's done.

After finishing his coffee, Nick excused himself and got up to go to the restroom. Sara and Grissom sat quietly for several moments, until the latter started to smile. Sara looked over at him.

"What's so amusing?"

"Oh, I just thought about that case few years ago when you said you became a member of the mile high club."

He shook his head and let out a small laugh. Sara could feel heat rising in her face and wished she'd never told him that. However, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to have him join her in one of those restrooms... She shook her head, trying to distract herself from her thoughts. It was quite a dangerous territory they were leading her into.

She noticed Grissom was still talking to her and she tried her best to concentrate on what he was saying.

"So maybe you could make me a member of that club a little later on. What do you think?"

Sara couldn't believe what she just heard. He couldn't have said that. Could he?

"Did you just say what I think you said?"

She looked in his eyes, hoping it wasn't what she thought.

"I said maybe later on tonight we can all have dinner at this great little Italian place down the road from the hotel we'll be staying at." Grissom said, giving her his most innocent look.

"Italian sounds great."

Nick came up from behind to slide back in his seat. Grissom quickly shifted his gaze to the open book he held in his lap. Nick leaned over to Sara and sniffed her neck, whispering in her ear and hoping that Grissom wouldn't hear him.

"That perfume you have on is having some affect on me. I just hope you brought the whole bottle, otherwise I'll be heartbroken."

Sara smiled. "I see you're trying to win that bet with Warrick, huh?"

"Bet, what are you talking about?" Nick leaned back, trying to play it cool.

"You know what bet I'm talking about. But if you want to win anything with me you'll have to work for it."

"That's no problem with me at all, sweetheart" Nick remarked, putting his hands behind his head.

Sara giggled.

"Sweetheart? Oh, I believe you might have a problem, let's see, I've got a little lace, silk, maybe some leather in that suitcase. Oh and that tiny black bikini I showed you last night? I think it will be a bigger problem than you think." She laughed and winked at him, all of a sudden realising that Grissom has just heard everything she just said.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Nick smiled dreamily at Sara, before closing his eyes and nodding off to sleep, leaving Sara and Grissom in each other's company again.

Grissom was still looking at his book, but the words weren't making much sense to him, not now when he heard Sara mention what she'd brought with her. He would not be able to focus much on the conference, especially if the weather would be kind enough to let Sara wear less clothing. He could feel her looking at him, but made no move in her direction. She leaned over his shoulder and studied his book.

Grissom could feel Sara's breath on his neck and it was beginning to drive him crazy.

"Good book?"

"Hmmmm? Oh yeah it's pretty good."

He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to stretch a little.

"What's it about?"

"Huh?"

She'd caught him off-guard and she knew it. He could almost feel the glee in her voice.

"Grissom?"

"These seats always have been terribly uncomfortable." He muttered under his breath, avoiding eye-contact with Sara.

"Here, let me try to loosen you up a little."

Before Grissom could utter any words of protest, she put her hands on his shoulders and started to gently massage them. He gave in, dropping his head and closing his eyes. His breath was starting to become a little ragged and his brain barely registered the fact that it was Sara and he shouldn't have let her done this.

Sara got the sudden urge to kiss him. She leaned in not really thinking about it and planted a gentle kiss on his neck. She started massaging deeper and harder. Grissom couldn't stand it anymore. He was getting slightly aroused and thought it would be a good idea for Sara to just stop but couldn't bring himself to tell her. Sara was breathing on his neck getting ready to kiss him again when a bell went off and the 'Fasten seatbelt' sign started flashing. The captain of the plane came over the loudspeaker letting the passengers know that they were in Florida and ready to land.

Sara reluctantly let go of Grissom's shoulders and got back in her seat to buckle her seatbelt. Neither of them could utter a word.


	6. Chapter 6

Sara couldn't get off the plane quickly enough, leaving both Nick and Grissom to stare after her, each wondering what would make her rush off in such haste. True, she probably couldn't wait to feel the ground under her feet, but both men were left wondering whether it might have been something to do with either of them, respectively.

Sara, meanwhile, virtually ran through the arrivals hall, looking for the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she studied her reflection.

"What is wrong with me?" she muttered under her breath, already knowing the answer.

What on earth came over her on that plane? She should never have kissed Grissom like that. How would she look him in the eye now? Of course, she could always blame it on the stress and the high altitude.

She could feel familiar sense of panic, when she realised that he was only few hundred metres away and she would have to face him soon. Both of them, actually. Sara wasn't sure whether the fact that Nick accompanied them on this trip was a blessing or a curse. Everything was happening way too fast.

She felt the sudden urge to drink. How she wished she could crawl into her bed right now and forget that all of it happened! Looking up at the ceiling, she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

On the other hand...

She was in Florida. She was going to spend to five days away from the lab, instead enjoying new surroundings for a change. And she had Grissom and Nick to keep her company. What was she really worried about?

Whatever was or wasn't going to happen out here, would surely be kept between the three of them. So she might as well have a little fun, and why not?

Smiling to herself, Sara looked at her reflection. She pulled out little bottle of perfume from her bag and sprayed herself with it, before fixing her hair with one swift move.

_'Time to have some fun, girl!' _she thought and feeling much more poised, she walked out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Nick glanced at Grissom from the corner of his eye, as they stood in the luggage hall, waiting for their suitcases to show up on conveyor belt.

"Are you alright, boss?"

Grissom was so deep in his thoughts that his brain barely registered Nick's question.

"Huh?"

Nick bit his lower lip. He knew something was up. And in more ways than one, it seemed. Nick shifted his gaze downwards, with a meaningful cough.

"I was just saying that um.. you look rather uncomfortable there, boss."

Grissom shot Nick one of his best poker faces.

"I'm alright, Nicky. And if I were you I'd start thinking about all the work we've got to do while we're here."

"Oh, come on, boss, we're in Florida, after all! Surely you'll let Sara and me drag you to the beach?"

Grissom sighed in exasperation. Just the mention of Sara and the beach in the same sentence was making him even more hot. And the way Nick had uttered the words to him, almost pleading.

Something about this situation felt different to him, and even though he wasn't ready to admit it out loud, he was quite enjoying that feeling.

"Grissom, Nicky, Grissom. Don't call me 'boss' out here, alright?"

_'Although it would be good for you to remember that I still am your boss. Or at least I'd like to be.' _Grissom added in his thoughts, smiling at Nick, who reciprocated with his Texan grin.

Grissom turned back to the conveyor belt, where his their suitcases finally appeared. He bend down to pick up his and almost butted heads with Sara, who suddenly materialised at his side.

She lost her balance and almost fell backwards, Grissom catching her at the last second. His hand grabbed her wrist and he briefly pulled her to him, as she found her footing. Fresh from their up-close moment on the plane, both Grissom and Sara blushed slightly, realising their proximity.

"Sorry, Sara, didn't see you there."

She giggled, lingering in his arms longer than it would probably be deemed appropriate, but she didn't care. And clearly, neither was he. Grissom smiled, despite the somewhat uncomfortable situation.

"My fault", Sara somehow managed to form a few words. "You okay?"

He nodded, letting go of her and the spell was broken. Grissom turned away from her, only to face Nick who, after witnessing the rather tight spot his companions found themselves in, had a very amused look on his face.

"Well, boss, lead the way." Nick gestured Grissom towards the gates, as he joined Sara and the trio started to make their way towards the hotel.

Sara wasn't looking at him, and Nick himself wasn't sure what the hell had just happened, because all of a sudden he started to feel very uncomfortable around his former boss. His beautiful colleague, who was walking next to him certainly wasn't helping matters.

This was shaping up to be a very interesting conference, indeed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Wow!" Nick couldn't stop himself form admiring the scenery around him. The tall palm trees were hovering high above their heads, as the gentle breeze provided much welcome relief from the sun rays.

"It's hotter than in Vegas!" Sara complained.

"I like it here. More sun means less clothes." Nick felt the need to comment on Sara's statement.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Stokes, are you talking to me?" She tried to make her tone serious, but the humour in her voice was evident.

"Now, Sidle, why would you assume that? I was actually talking to our friend over here." Nick continued in the talk-show presenter tone, pointing at Grissom, who was listening to their conversation with increasing curiosity, but tried not to let it show. "I was just wondering whether Dr Grissom here would be interested in taking his clothes off, to make him more comfortable?"

Sara burst out laughing, and Nick suddenly realised what he'd said. He didn't mean it to come out like that, and he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. He pulled his baseball cap tighter and looked at Grissom, with his best effort to try and save face.

"Gris... I didn't mean it like that, I'm so sorry!" He almost whined.

Slightly annoyed, he looked at Sara, who was still snorting with laughter.

"It's your fault, you know?" He muttered to her, embarrassed, pinching her in the arm, making her squeal.

Grissom continued walking and Nick was starting to worry that he might just have blown it this time. It was not a good idea to start his vacation, sorry, conference, by pissing off his former boss by making inappropriate comments. But Grissom didn't look affected at all, and Nick started to relax. He'd put it down to jetlag and too much sun.

The three of them made their way to the hotel and Sara gasped in amazement.

"Wow! This place is huge!"

She looked around the glass lobby, decorated with several palm trees on either side of her, with little fountain right in the middle, decorated with coral reef, looking so authentic that Sara couldn't tell whether it was real or not.

In the middle of the fountain was a turtle made of stone, from which the water was gushing all around it, making it look almost magical.

Sara stood there, enthralled, her mouth open, as she clearly enjoyed the look of the place that they were staying in. Walking up to her, Grissom shot her one of his wide grins.

"Green turtle." He said. "_Chelonia mydas_. There are quite a lot of those here, did you know that? I'm pretty sure that there is a place where you can hire a diving suit and have a closer look at them yourself."

Sara finally tore her look from the beautiful fountain, acknowledging Grissom's words. It came to her as no surprise that he knew that. Was there anything this man did not know? She shook her head lightly, allowing herself a little smile.

"Are you offering, Gris?"

"Only if you are." Came his reply, and once again, Sara found herself at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Nick was already at the reception, waiting for Grissom and Sara to catch up with him. A tall, slender girl in her twenties stood behind the counter, her dark, long hair, tied loosely behind her back. She was wearing a blue linen skirt, with cream blouse and matching sandals. Her eyes were green and she was wearing a touch of make-up, barely visible though, and probably just enough for this kind of climate.

She smiled at Nick, who in turn, leaned over slightly, flashing her his Texan grin, from under the baseball cap.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Well, I hope so. Caitlin." He added, reading her nameplate. He was going to say something else, when Sara materialised by his side, followed closely by Grissom. They both set their luggage on the floor, and it was Grissom's turn to talk to the young woman.

"Gil Grissom, Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes." He introduced himself, as well as Nick and Sara. "We're here for the entomology conference."

Beaming back at the three of them, Caitlin started to type on the computer, but not before stealing a glance at Nick, as he continued to watch her work.

"Certainly, sir," she said, after few seconds. "Have you got the invitation with you? And could I see some proof of ID, please?"

Grissom nodded, withdrawing his wallet, as Nick and Sara did the same. They passed it to the receptionist, waiting for her to complete the check-in.

Nick seemed lost in his own world, his eyes following Caitlin's fast fingers, as she continued to type away on her machine. He caught Sara's look, and shrugged. Sara rolled her eyes. Would her ever change?

"Gilbert Grissom!"

The voice was unfamiliar to Sara, as she turned around, startled, looking for the person calling out her supervisor's name. Nick followed, momentarily tearing his eyes from the pretty receptionist. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight, that had awaited them, though.

Several yards from the reception area, where they had been standing, was a woman. She was rather petite, although on the sole basis of listening to her voice, one would not make that assumption. She was wearing grey slacks and a cream, short-sleeved top. Her silvery hair were cut to just above the ears, revealing rather fashionable earrings and a necklace with long purple stone, most likely an amethyst. She was wearing glasses and had a name tag on a silver chain, around her neck, although it had been impossible to read it from this distance.

She was looking in their direction, but only one of their trio was smiling in recognition. The woman started walking towards them, just as Grissom left his post by Nick and Sara, meeting her halfway. They stood before each other, both eyeing the other, in an almost suspicious fashion.

The woman tapped on the floor with her shoe, as her hands found their place on her hips. She stared up at Grissom, who was at least ten inches taller than her. They both tried to maintain serious looks, studying each other with an almost unexpected curiosity, while Nick and Sara exchanged glances between each other.

"Well well, what do you know?" The petite woman said. "I asked for Las Vegas' finest, and who do I get?"

Grissom smirked.

"I guess that's why I got you as my welcome committee, then?"

The woman laughed and Grissom held his arms open, as she moved into his embrace.

"It's good to see you, Karen." He said, enjoying the warmth that she radiated of.

"You too, Gilbert, you too. Long time no see." She replied, patting him on the back, and ruffling his hair affectionately. Nick and Sara observed that scene, both of them too surprised to utter a word. Caitlin glanced up from her computer briefly, before returning to work.

"So you made it, then." Karen stated the obvious, letting Grissom out of her grasp. "I was beginning to worry."

"Awww, don't you trust me, Karen? I would have never passed up the opportunity of wining and dining the most sought-after member of ESA." Grissom grinned.

"Well, I should hope so!" Karen flashed him a smile. "Good thing I made the reservations, then, huh?"

"Woman after my own heart, Karen." Grissom replied with a smile.

"And you'd better not forget it!" She retorted, grinning.


	8. Chapter 8

Meanwhile, over at the counter, Caitlin addressed Nick.

"Excuse me, Mr Stokes?"

Nick turned his attention to her, flashing her his Texan grin.

"Call me, Nick. Caitlin."

She returned his smile, but immediately went into business mode, as she turned to her computer screen.

"There seems to be a little problem." Upon hearing that, Sara joined the conversation.

"What's going on, Nicky?"

Nick shrugged, as Caitlin explained the situation.

"Well, it seems that even though your reservation has been made and we've got all the necessary documentation, we may not be able to offer you the exact accommodation that you have been promised. I'm terribly sorry."

"And what problem would that be?" Sara leaned over the counter, looking at the receptionist intently.

"Well, I can see that you have been promised three rooms for each one of you, but unfortunately we are only able to offer you two rooms at the moment."

Nick grinned with satisfaction.

"Well, Sar, it looks like we might be bunk mates after all!"

"Shut up, Nicky!" Sara shot him a half-smile, and turned to Caitlin.

"What exactly are you able to offer us?"

Just then, Grissom and Karen had wandered over to them, the little lady eyeing Nick and Sara with interest.

"Gris, we've got a probl…" Sara turned to him, only to be faced with smiling Karen. "Hello!"

"Karen, I'd like to introduce you to two people from my team." Grissom started. "This is Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes. Guys this is Dr Karen Ashcroft, as of this year, honorary member of the Entomological Society and a dear friend of mine."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'm." Nick shook Karen's hand, which she gingerly took.

"Aren't you the cutest?" Nick blushed at Karen's words, trying not to look at Sara, who all of a sudden found the tiles on the floor very interesting.

"Gilbert here hasn't told me anything about you two, but I'm really glad he brought you with him. He always comes alone, you know? It was about time we've had some fresh blood around here."

Grissom rolled his eyes.

"Karen, any chance of you not calling me 'Gilbert'?"

She pouted at him. "Not a slightest, sweetie. And didn't we already had this conversation?"

Sara coughed, trying to cover up her giggles. From what she's just seen, this Karen was definitely a character. She probably knew Grissom very well. Hmm, that might come in handy. She decided to take a little risk.

"So, I take it you know Grissom well?" Sara asked the petite woman by her side, ignoring a death-stare her supervisor just gave her.

"Oh, yeah!" Karen looked at Grissom, revealing the twinkle in her eye. "I could probably tell you a lot of…"

Grissom cut her off, little worried about what she was going to say next.

"Karen, would you please stop scaring the young ones here of stories of our past? I'm sure they don't want to hear about it."

"Oh, but we do!" Sara exclaimed, ignoring Grissom's warning look. Somehow, this day just kept getting better, and she no longer regretted coming to Florida.

Throughout this exchange, Caitlin remained behind her counter, patiently waiting for the four of them to finish. If she was taken aback by any aspect of this particular assembly, she did not let it show.

"So, did you three just get here, then?" Karen's eyes travelled from each one of them to the other.

"Yeah, as matter of fact…" Grissom started, turning to Caitlin, who took that as her cue.

"Well, as I was just explaining to Mr Stokes and Miss Sidle here, there seems to a be a little problem with the reservation and I am only able to offer two rooms at the moment. I'm very sorry about this. I can assure you that the standard of those rooms is excellent and we will provide all the facilities that you were informed of. I have also spoken to my boss and he has agreed that the three of you will not have to pay for your stay."

"Well, that's something." Sara muttered under her nose, as she watched Grissom from the corner of her eye.

"So…" Nick rubbed his hands together. "Who's sleeping with who?"

Sara patted him on the shoulder. "Do you ever consider thinking before you speak, Stokes?"

Karen giggled and looked at Grissom.

"They're adorable, Gil. I'm glad you've brought them. By the way, anything I should know about?" She gestured towards Nick and Sara, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Grissom's mouth hung open. "Karen, I…" He glanced at Sara, who was busy scrolling through the messages on her cellphone.

Karen patted him on the shoulder. "Say no more, Gilbert. She's very pretty. Although he's good-looking, too." She added, gesturing towards Nick.

Grissom tore his eyes from Sara and his face has taken on a unreadable look again.

"I sincerely hope that you're not going to play match-maker again?" He asked her calmly. "Do I have to remind you what had happened the last time you tried that?"

"Come on, Gil, you know that I'm too old for that!" Before she could have added anything else, her phone rang and she stepped away to answer it. She spoke for less than two minutes, and finishing the conversation, she walked over to Grissom.

"I have to go. It seems that I'm in a very high demand today."

"Aren't you always?"

She smiled at him, and reaching up, cupped his face and smacked loud kisses on both his cheeks, causing Nick and Sara to turn.

"I'm glad you're here. Call me when you've settled in. The first lecture is tomorrow morning, so it might be a good idea to still do some sightseeing today. I'm sure that Nick and Sara would love that. Wouldn't you, darlings?" She called to them, unfazed by the fact that the two 'darlings' have gone bright red.

"I'll see you later, Gilbert!" Ignoring Grissom's look, Karen nodded at the three CSIs and took off through the reception area, finally disappearing behind the glass door on their left.

Grissom cleared his throat, and turned to his two companions. Nick glanced at Sara, who in turn stared at Grissom. She bit her lip, trying to be serious.

"Gilbert?" She asked.

"Don't you start." Grissom muttered, moving closer to the reception desk. "So just what exactly is happening here then?"

Caitlin gave him a bright smile.

"Dr Grissom. Like I said, we have got two rooms for you. They're both single, but we are going to put in an additional bed. Both also have en-suite bathroom, TV with cable and DVD player, minibar, and a balcony with ocean view. They're adjoining room, by the way." She added. "Would you like the doors to be unlocked?"

Before either Nick or Sara could reply, Grissom answered.

"Yes."

They didn't question him on that. It was probably wise. There was no reason why the door should be locked, now should there?

The big question was, who would occupy the single room and who would share? All of them seemed to be channelling the same train of thought, when Caitlin interrupted them.

"Here are your keys." She handed Grissom and Sara plastic entry cards. "The numbers are 434 and 436 and the rooms are on the sixth floor. Marty will take you." She gestured towards the burly man to their right, who picked up the heaviest pieces of their luggage and started walking towards the elevator. "Have a good stay. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." She smiled at Nick, who reciprocated.

None of them said anything in the elevator. Sara kept looking at the ceiling, while Nick tried to whistle some melody and appeared annoyed when it didn't sound the way he wanted it to. Grissom seemed preoccupied with this thoughts, which was nothing new, but Sara had wondered what was it exactly that had bothered him right this moment.

The tension between them was palpable, and it didn't disappear when they stepped out onto the sixth floor. It was quite the opposite, in fact. All of them seemed to growing more uncomfortable with each second.

The CSIs followed Marty down the long corridor, until they were standing in front of the doors reading numbers 434 and 436. The hotel boy glanced at Grissom, who in turn met Sara's and Nick's gazes respectively.

Without saying another word, Grissom gestured Sara to take the room on the left, while allowing Nick to step into the other one. After watching his two CSIs disappearing into their rooms, Grissom took a deep breath and stepped inside, too.


End file.
